Mortal Reactions to Demigods
by moranemily36
Summary: A (possible) series of one-shots about mortals meeting our favorite demigods. With or without mist. Suggestions would be appreciated. Cliches will be avoided...(mostly). Please, read the author notes. They only appear when absolutely necessary.


**Author note: This chapter contains serious spoilers for the entire series from PJO and HOO, please DO NOT READ if you have not finished these books.**

***SPOILER ALERT: HUGE SPOILERS FOR ****HOO**** and ****PJO!**** Do not read without finishing these series!**

**Warning: HUGE SPOILERS CONTAINED IN CHAPTER! PLEASE, DO NOT READ UNLESS YOU HAVE FINISHED ****_BOTH_**** PJO AND HOO series.**

***SPOILER ALERT: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS SPOILERS FROM BOTH ****PJO**** and ****HOO!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own either PJO or HOO, (sadly :( ). I will never own these books. I am ****_NOT_**** Rick Riordan. That is a whole new level of awesome that I have not reached yet. I know...depressing right.**

**FINAL WARNING:**

**The following chapter contains ****_HUGE_**** spoilers for both**

**PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS**

**and**

**HEROES OF OLYMPUS**

**series. Please, do not read if you have not finished these.**

**Read at your own risk-but do not say I didn't warn you...**

"Demigods are _freaks_!"

"No, they're not. They're still human, Jake."

"No, they aren't! Carla, demigods are dangerous, they're freaks, unnatural."

"Jake _STOP IT_! You can't just go around calling demigods names. And as much as I agree with you Carla, demigods are dangerous. And they might not take well to being called a freak. They could do some serious damage if they wanted to."

"_Thank you! _Frankly, how do we even know if they're the good guys in the first place? They could've committed hundreds of murders and we would never have known because of that whole 'Mist' thing."

"How do you know that? You can't just go around judging people of off what they may do-it isn't right. I might have been a bully in my old school, but you'd never know. Does that mean you don't want to be my friend?"

"Well, no. But this is different! This is _murder_ we're talking about. And, the monsters are only after demigods. Without them, monsters would go away. Let's face it, demigods are dangerous. We should get rid of them while we still can. I say, we round them all up and lock them away somewhere."

"Jake, cut it out. You're being unreasonable." Mark cut in.

"No, I'm_ NOT_! Percy will agree with me. Right, Perce." All four friends turned to where Percy was sitting, flinching back at the furious expression on his face.

"_Don't call me that!_" He snapped at Jake.

"Wow, dude. No need to get so mad! It's just a nickname." Jake flinched again when Percy's sea-green eyes, dark with anger, were trained on him.

"Only my friends get to call me that." All four of them stared at him in shock. Jake had been one of Percy's only friends his _entire_ time at Goode. For almost four years, they'd been inseparable. Even when no one else would hang out with Percy, Jake did. He remembered being out of his mind with worry when Percy disappeared sophomore year. And when he returned, Jake was the first one to welcome him back. They thought it was a given that they were friends, but apparently not.

"I thought we were friends." Jake said, equally as mad now. By now, a crowd had gathered. They were expecting a fight, but Percy's next statement stopped everyone in their tracks.

"Friends don't accuse each other of _murder_." He spat, venom lacing his every word. "Friends don't call each other freaks. _Friends _don't suggest that we be rounded up and locked in a cage somewhere like _ANIMALS_!"

His voice was laced with power, and dripped with venom. He was absolutely _furious_, and now they knew why. Percy Jackson was a demigod. The fun loving, harmless swimmer was a powerful, dangerous demigod. And he was _terrifying._

"Percy, I-I didn't, I d-didn't m-mean-."

He scoffed. "Because that makes it _soo_ much better, right." He said, laying on the sarcasm in a soft, deadly voice. "We aren't animals, Jake. We aren't monsters. And we sure as heck don't just kill mortals because we can."

Someone in the crowd shouted out, "Prove it!"

In one swift, fluid, _graceful_ move, Percy whipped out a pen. Uneasy laughter rippled through the crowd until he uncapped it, revealing the three foot long, Celestial Bronze sword, Riptide. The crowd stepped back, one of the girls screaming, as a collective gasp flowed through the group of students.

"Wow, Percy, put the sword down. No one has to get hurt here." Mark tried soothing the demigod, suddenly afraid of his friend. No one dared to move, fearing for their life.

Carefully, _deliberately_, Percy put his palm on the blade of the sword, hissing as it cut his skin. His eyes met the eyes of every person in the room as he showed them his hand, dripping with fresh blood. "You wanted proof?" He aimed the blade at Jake. "Here's your proof."

"JAKE!"

"Percy!"

"No!"

"STOP!"

Everyone screamed as the sword came down on Jake.

_I love you mom, dad. I'll miss you, Katy. You're the best sister I could ever have had. Thank you Mark, Carla, Judie. You are the best friends in the world. I'm sorry-I didn't mean for this to happen. _He closed his eyes, waiting for the strike to hit him, to kill him. Asking_ why? Why, Percy?_ He knew he should move, but he couldn't. His feet were glued to the spot, a single tear ran down his face as he stood for what seemed like an eternity, waiting for his inevitable end. But it never came.

The sword never hit him. Slowly, he opened his eyes to see Percy staring at him, still holding the sword. The entire group of people was staring at him in shock, but he didn't know why. He realized that he almost died, and suddenly, he felt very, very faint.

His legs gave way, and he would've fallen to the ground, had Percy not caught him and sat him down on the cafeteria table. He wanted to yell at him, to ask him _what the heck that was?! _Or maybe to just wake up and have the whole thing be a dream. Because right now, Percy terrified him. He didn't know this boy. Mark spoke up next, "How is that possible?" For Percy had, in fact, swung the sword.

And it had, in fact, hit Jake.

And gone straight.

Through.

Him.

"Celestial bronze, Stygian Iron, Imperial Gold-those weapons can't hurt mortals. That, and there are laws in place that prevent demigods from using their powers against mortals. _And_ the majority of us are perfectly happy living our lives separate from you. We don't want to hurt you, heck we fight, so you don't have to. Monsters won't attack mortals unless their provoked, or very hungry, because they have to get passed us first. We're the first defense…and the last." Percy answered him.

No one seemed capable of speaking, still staring fearfully, but less so than earlier, at the sword in Percy's hand.

He put it away.

"Jake." He whispered, no longer the powerful and dangerous demigod, but a concerned friend. Jake couldn't meet his eyes. He was afraid. Maybe the sword couldn't hurt him, but he'd said some very, _very_ harsh things about demigods. He was afraid that Percy would hurt him. There are, after all, other ways to hurt a person than weapons.

"Jake?" He tried again, the hurt evident in his voice as Jake still didn't meet his eyes. He heard a sigh, a soft, resigned sound and the Percy spoke again.

"Jake? I'm sorry. I-I shouldn't have done that. That was wrong, and cruel, and so, _so_ unfair to you, and I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I-" His voice cracked and Jake ventured a quick glance at his face. The sincerity in his eyes was undeniable, and he wanted to believe him. He wanted to know that Percy really was sorry. But he was terrified. What if it was all an act? What if he's not really sorry, and he wants to hurt him?

"I…I…" _Hate you. Never want to see you again. Never want to talk to you again. Never want…you to hate _me._ Don't want you to leave _us. _Your _friends. _And I know I provoked you, unintentionally. And, because after all those years of knowing you, you deserve a second chance. And I…I…I…_"Forgive you."

He decided that, even if the Percy he knew for all those years was a demigod, and had essentially, just threatened his life, he was going to give him a chance. Because he was, or had been, his friend.

"I'm sorry." Percy apologized again unnecessarily, because Jake was sure now that Percy was sincere in his apology and that he really was sorry. "I…I was just…I was just so _mad_. I-I don't…I don't think you understand what it's like to be a demigod. You're saying we're dangerous and freaks and that you should just lock us away and after everything we've done for you, it made me so upset. And…they're…they're my family. My cousins, and friends, my confidants. And when you threatened them…it just…I just…and I'm not saying it was alright…just don't…don't judge people before you know what their life is like. We can't exactly choose who are parents are."

Jake felt a little guilty, realizing he had literally been condemning and entire race of people by their parents. And then, "What do you mean, after everything you've done for us?"

Percy sighed, the distant thoughts of wars past and loved ones lost. His eyes looked broken, and unbearably sad. Everyone held their breath as he began.

"The first time it happened-I was a toddler. Sometimes, it's even earlier than that. Monsters can smell us-the more powerful, the stronger you're scent. I'm a child of Poseidon-the only one. After World War II, there was an oath saying the big three couldn't have any kids…which was broken. Quite a few times. There was a prophecy about a child of the eldest gods either saving or destroying Olympus on their 16th birthday. More about that later. Well since my father's one of the big three…my scent is really strong. All those schools I got kicked out of? That was the monsters. You see…the mist distorted things in a way people could believe, so demigods were usually the scapegoat for any monster attack. My mom tried to cover my scent by marrying a guy…Smelly Gabe." His lips curled in disgust, unconsciously clenching his fists, though it didn't go unnoticed to the audience. "He was a drunkard, and a gambler, and…" Percy looked down in embarrassment and shame, though he had nothing to be ashamed of. "…he used to…he used to hit me. And my mom. I didn't know that at the time. It started when I was four. Just a little hit here, a slap there." He chuckled bitterly, "The first time I lost consciousness, I was six. I tried telling my mom what he was doing…he didn't take well to that." All of us were shocked, he'd never said _anything_ about his past before. But…he was _abused?_ "When I was twelve, my quests began. I met Annabeth that year to. I went to the Underworld, found Zeus's lightning bolt and the Helm of Darkness and returned them. I blow-torched a national monument there as well…the Arch. Then I jumped out of it." Wait, _what?_ "There was this boy…Luke." His voice became sad. "He was my friend…from camp. He was like a brother to me, but he betrayed me. He tried to kill me. The next year, my friend Grover was captured. I snuck out of camp with Annabeth to find him. We sailed the Sea of Monsters…you know…the Bermuda triangle. We got the Golden Fleece and healed Thalia's pine tree. She was a daughter of Zeus. She died protecting Annabeth and Luke, and was turned into a pine tree which was then poisoned. But, the Fleece also brought her back to life. The next year, we met Nico and Bianca. They were children of Hades from the 1940's. They were stuck in a hotel-the Lotus Casino-that basically freezes time and makes you never want to leave. Annabeth was captured, along with Artemis. I snuck out again to help…wow, I did that a lot…We lost Bianca and Zoe Nightshade…a three thousand year old, immortal huntress. That's where the new constellation comes from-The Huntress. I met Rachel Dare, a girl would could see through the mist." _Wait, what?_ "We got Annabeth and Artemis back, but Annabeth and I both had to hold the sky on our shoulders. That's where this grey streak comes from." He said, pointing at the gray streak in his otherwise raven black hair. _Oh…_ "Thalia joined the Huntresses so she wouldn't ever turn 16, meaning the Prophecy would be about me. The war…" _War?_ "…like, really started that year. We had to explore the Labyrinth, which is an ever growing, living, maze. It changes too. We need Rachel to tell us what was real since powerful enough mist can trick even demigods. She hit Kronos in the eye with a blue hair brush. I also accidentally blew up Mt. Saint Helens…"

"Wait a second…hold up. _You_ blew up _Mt. Saint Helens?!_"

"…Uh…yeah. That was an accident. I went to Ogygia and met Calypso, she nursed me back to health. I stayed there for a few months, but in reality. It was only two weeks. I got back, crashed my funeral-that was fun-and yeah. The next year was our final fight. We blew up Luke's ship, the Princess Andromeda, but we lost a really good guy, Charles Beckendorf. Beckendorf was a son of Hephaestus, and everyone loved him. He's in Elysium now. I got the Curse of Achilles, and so did Luke. Remember the gas leak of Manhattan?" We all nodded. That was all over the news. "Well…that was actually the Invasion of Manhattan. Olympus is at the empire state building. Morpheus…a minor god…put everyone to sleep as we fought. That final battle lasted for almost three days. In the end…Kronos had taken over Luke's body. But Luke got control. I gave him the blade that killed him, and Kronos. He died a hero. We won the war…but we lost a lot of really good people. That was my birthday. I also got together with Annabeth, and had the best underwater kiss of all time." They saw a few tears trickling down his face, but he smiled at the last part.

"Wow, you knew her for how long?"

"Uh…five years before we first started dating."

"Wow, man. You're dense."

"You think that's bad? She kissed me and it still took me another year to realize she liked me!"

The entire crowd went silent for a second, before bursting into uproarious laughter.

"We got a few weeks of peace, and then half way into my sophomore year…" _Wait, there's more? _"Hera decided to switch the leaders of the Greek and Roman camps. She took me, wiped my memory, and put me to sleep.

For six.

Freaking.

Months.

While my counterpart, Jason, was completing a quest to free Hera. I was napping. They freed her, Jason got his memories back, and they began to build a boat. Meanwhile, I'm still napping." A few chuckles escaped at the obvious attempt to lighten the mood. "They work on the boat. I sleep. They work on the boat. I sleep. They work on the boat. I-you'll never guess this…sleep!" More laughter. "Finally, after six months, I wake up with no memory except my name, and Annabeth's name. I didn't even know how old I was."_ Wow, that must've been hard. _"I get taught by a whole bunch of wolves," _Wolves?_ "Yes, wolves. And then sent to the Roman camp on the other side of the country in California. I go on a quest to free Death, the person. Yes, I know what you're thinking and no, it would not have been great for Death to be captured. I find the lost Eagle of the Fifth Legion, it's pretty cool. It shoots lightning. Anyway…we return and fight some giants. That was on the Feast of Fortuna, and no. It is not a feast for tuna, that's what I thought." The audience roared with laughter as Percy continued. "We teamed up with the Amazons, the Amazon girls, mind you. They run Amazon. Don't ask. Anyway…long story short, we beat the monsters and I got made a Praetor. For, like, 6 hours." The crowd was quickly finding out how easily Percy could make people laugh. It was weird, because most of them had never spent even ten minutes talking to him before now. "The Argo 2, that boat they were building, showed up. Then Eidolons possessing Leo made him fire on the city and pretty much start a war between Greek and Roman demigods. We sailed for Rome, where Annabeth went on a side quest to find the Athena Parthan-something or other. That statue was missing for hundreds of years, and would heal the rift between the Greeks and Romans. We got the statue…and then closed the doors of death. Side note, Leo met Calypso on Ogygia who was not freed like the gods had promised she would be. Finally, Reyna, the other praetor, arrived. She and Nico took the statue to stop the war between the camps as we sailed on to Athens. We fought, my nosebleed almost caused the end of the world by waking Gaea, and Leo flew Gaea up with his metal dragon and caused an explosion that destroyed her, ensuring she would never wake again. He died, found Ogygia again-something that's supposed to be impossible-and now he's alive again with Calypso. Happily ever after. Yep! My life story in just a few paragraphs!"

Jake was stunned. While he was going to school worrying about how his crush felt about him, Percy was saving the world. How could he ever have thought that demigods were evil? Sure, some were, but so were some humans.

"Percy," He looked up at Jake. "I'm sorry. I was wrong. You're a hero, and a human."

"You know I would never hurt you intentionally, right Jake?"

"Yeah. I know. And, Percy…thank you."

He glanced up again, and saw a small smile, a happy smile, resting contentedly on Percy's lips. And he realized, maybe this time, he was wrong. Maybe demigods aren't all bad. Maybe he should give them a chance before judging them too hard.


End file.
